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AUTO-TECH 2000 to Focus On Growing Importance of Global E-Commerce

15 May 2000

Automotive Industry Action Group's AUTO-TECH 2000 to Focus On Growing Importance of Global E-Commerce

    SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 15 The growing importance of global
e-commerce will come into sharp focus in Detroit Sept. 12-14, 2000 as the
Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) hosts thousands of vehicle
manufacturer and supplier executives during its annual AUTO-TECH 2000
Conference & Exposition at Detroit's Cobo Center.
    "E-commerce is the hottest topic in the industry and has the potential to
assist industry executives in keeping their companies ahead of the
competition," said Kenneth W. Godzina, AIAG executive director.  "The
conference and exposition will help attendees understand the role of e-
commerce in the automotive supply chain, as well as to learn about industry
best practices which can improve productivity, boost quality and enhance
competitiveness in the global marketplace."
    The three-day AUTO-TECH Conference & Exposition offers attendees more than
100 educational sessions -- 35 of which will focus on e-commerce,
telecommunications and related topics -- top-rated speakers and a hands-on
exhibit setting.  Last year, approximately 3,600 people attended the event.
    Sessions will also cover such topics as electronic data interchange (EDI),
the Advanced Network eXchange(R) (ANX(R)) service, automatic identification
and bar coding, materials management, supply chain integration, quality,
customs and regulatory reporting, engineering and product data exchange,
global automotive issues, OEM updates, packaging and returnable containers.
    More than 180 exhibitors will showcase the industry's latest productivity-
boosting technologies and approaches related to automatic identification,
CAD/CAM, materials management, logistics, electronic commerce, packaging,
international trade and more.

    Additional AUTO-TECH 2000 highlights include:

    *  The AIAG Outstanding Achievement Awards Dinner -- being held Tuesday,
Sept. 12 at 6:15 p.m. -- with speaker Joseph C. Day, chairman and chief
executive officer of Freudenberg-NOK;
    *  A keynote luncheon addressing key developments in the auto industry on
Tuesday, Sept. 12 from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.;
    *  A general session luncheon featuring three-time Emmy award-winning
sportscaster Greg Gumbel on Wednesday, Sept. 13 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.; and
    *  Briefings from AIAG project teams on cooperative industry efforts that
could help save the auto industry billions of dollars annually